Learn more about Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow exterior paint and see a real-life home with this palette in our color review.
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow is a soft, beautiful paint color rated for interiors and exteriors. It has an LRV of 76, with a very saturated warm hue.
There is something so very joyful about a yellow house, and the home we’re featuring in this post is no exception.
If you’ve been looking for the perfect yellow hue for your exterior color palette, keep reading to learn more about SW Vital Yellow.
*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you click on some links and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. This helps pay for the costs of the blog, so I can continue to offer great content to our readers.
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Are Yellow Exteriors in Style?
If you’ve spent any time looking at yellow exterior color palettes, then you’ve probably noticed that it can be a tricky color to work with. So you might be wondering whether you should even think about painting your house yellow. But in my experience, it’s not that yellow doesn’t work as exterior paint, it’s about choosing the right one for your home, your climate and your surroundings.
When chosen thoughtfully, yellow can be a timeless exterior paint color for just about any house. For that matter, most colors are timeless. It’s the neutrals such as gray and beige that go in and out of style.
The key to successfully painting your house yellow is to make sure that the color looks right in the neighborhood. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend picking a yellow house in a neighborhood full of beige or gray houses. But it can look fabulous in a neighborhood with various exterior paint colors.
The house we’re featuring in today’s post, for example (pictured below), had a Victorian style. So, although the house was modern, the soft SW Vital Yellow exterior makes sense in this older neighborhood.
Tips for Painting Your House Yellow
One of the biggest challenges to painting a yellow exterior is that these colors can be very strong, like a “caution” sign. This is especially true when you take them outside.
Remember, paint colors look 4-5x brighter outdoors than they do inside. Opting for a soft yellow paint color like Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow (sample) helps to ensure the paint doesn’t look overpowering in the sun. But it’s always important to test the paint color carefully in a large area before you use it.
Yellow paint colors can also be challenging to work with because many are only rated for interiors. Make sure that if you want to paint your home exterior yellow, the paint color has been approved for exteriors. Even if it’s mixed with an exterior paint base, it will likely fade faster than you expect if it’s not truly made for exterior applications.
Also, make sure that the yellow is not too bright; overbright yellows can look like a Caution sign!.
What Color is SW Vital Yellow?
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow is a soft yellow paint color perfect for exterior color palettes (article) and interior applications.
What is Sherwin-Wiliams Vital Yellow’s LRV?
With an LRV of 76, Vital Yellow is a light hue but still has plenty of pigment. LRV (or Light Reflectance Value) is a scale that measures how much visible light a surface reflects. The scale ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being true black and 100 being true white.
What are the Vital Yellow undertones?
Yellow is one of the primary colors, which are yellow, red and blue. As you look at the color wheel below, yellow is adjacent to green on one side, as you creep toward blue, and orange heading in the direction of red. As a result, yellow paint colors can have orange/red undertones, like a tangerine, or green undertones, which is more unusual.
SW Vital Yellow has warmer undertones, like an orange/reddish yellow. The undertones are very subtle, so the color still looks very yellow. These undertones keep the color looking soft and ensure Vital Yellow won’t look neon even in the bright sun.
Is SW Vital Yellow warm or cool?
Vital Yellow is a lovely warm paint color thanks to its orange/red undertones. This warmth is part of what makes it such a good yellow exterior paint color.
Sample SW Vital Yellow
We always recommend that you test paint colors (article) in your home because lighting can completely change a color, both on interiors and exteriors.
In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.
Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!
- Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
- Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
- Delivered overnight
- Colors are accurate
- Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
- No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of
I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples and sample Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow (Sample) via the link below.
Project Spotlight: Victorian House with Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow Exterior Paint
The client’s home featured in today’s post is a beautiful modern home with an old-fashioned, Victorian style (article). This home was already painted yellow when we started working with the owners, but the specific hue and overall color palette weren’t properly highlighting the beauty of this home.
Like we do with all of our exterior paint color consultations, we made sure to not just choose a body color, but also carefully choose the exterior trim color, accent colors and front door paint color very thoughtfully. The result is a Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow exterior color palette that looks completely timeless.
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow Body Color
SW Vital Yellow is the perfect shade of yellow for this home. It contrasts beautifully with the white picket fence in front of the house and because of its warm, orange undertones, it doesn’t risk pulling green alongside the trees.
Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa Exterior Trim
With a color like Vital Yellow, you really need an exterior white trim color (article) to add contrast and balance. Although Vital Yellow is very light outdoors, I don’t recommend treating it like a white and painting a whole house this color. I also don’t recommend using this color (or any yellow exterior color) with black doors, shutters or window frames because it can end up looking like a bumble bee.
Instead, we picked a very bright white exterior trim paint – Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa (color review article) – for the trim, gutters, fascia, soffits, white picket fence, and garage doors. We usually don’t like to select such a bright white for exterior trim, unless the siding is a very light color (like in this case).
Sherwin-Williams Silvermist Exterior Accents & Doors
Because this home had some beautiful, unique architectural details, we wanted to incorporate an accent color into the palette. We used Sherwin-Williams Silvermist (sample) for the shingle detail in the gable over the front door and also for the side and rear doors.
Silvermist is a muted blue-green that looks gorgeous in the sun. We also used this color for a light blue front porch ceiling color that was similar to a traditional haint blue porch ceiling (article).
Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent Exterior Front Door
To contrast with the soft yellow exterior and light trim, we wanted a darker, bold color for the front door. Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent (color review article) was the perfect solution! This is a very dark navy blue paint color with green undertones. In the bright sun, these warm undertones really glow and pair beautifully with the yellow body color.
Sample the Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow Color Scheme
- Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow
- Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa
- Sherwin-Williams Silvermist
- Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow Alternatives & Comparisons
If you’re considering a yellow exterior color scheme, it’s a good idea to test a few options. Below, explore some of our favorite yellow paint colors that are approved for interiors and exteriors and see how they compare to Vital Yellow.
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow vs Sherwin-Williams Banana Cream
Sherwin-Williams Banana Cream (sample) is about as light as Vital Yellow, with an LRV of 75. But it’s a less muted hue offering a much bolder, warm yellow color.
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow vs Sherwin-Williams Lantern Light
Sherwin-Williams Lantern Light (sample) has the same LRV (76) as Vital Yellow, but it’s a much brighter paint color. It has similar orange undertones but is less muted, so it appears more yellow in place.
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow vs Benjamin Moore Hepplewhite Ivory
Benjamin Moore Hepplewhite Ivory (color review article) is another favorite exterior yellow paint color. With an LRV of 75.34, Hepplewhite Ivory (sample) is very similar to SW Vital Yellow. It’s slightly less muted and looks a bit brighter in place, especially outdoors.
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow vs Benjamin Moore Bracken Cream
Benjamin Moore Bracken Cream (sample) is the closest Benjamin Moore alternative to Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow. Although Bracken Cream is darker, with an LRV of 72.77, it has a similarly soft yellow hue. The undertones of Bracken Cream do lean a bit more toward green, however, so it appears cooler in place.
Key Learning Points
Sherwin-Williams Vital Yellow is a beautiful, soft yellow paint color that can be used for interiors or exteriors.
- With its warm, orange/red undertones, Vital Yellow won’t look too bright or stark – even in the outdoor sun.
- Since it’s such a light color, Vital Yellow pairs well with bright white exterior trim (article) like Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa (color review article).
- Don’t pair Vital Yellow with black trim or accent colors or it may end up looking like a bumble bee. Instead, try blue-green paint colors that contrast well with the yellow hue, such as SW Silvermist and SW Sea Serpent (color review article).
Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens. Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. Read our full guide to results from paint matching.
No matter what, always test your paint colors. It’s a standard best practice. Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Read our guide to learn how to test your paint colors.
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Related Posts:
- Benjamin Moore Hepplewhite Ivory Color Review
- Best White Exterior Trim Colors
- Best White Exterior Color Schemes
- Best Sherwin-Williams Exterior Color Schemes
About the Author
Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person. I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, our Online Color Consultations will help you pick your paint colors. Thank you for your understanding.
